Most European countries are rather small, yet we know little about their
monetary history.
This book analyses for the first time the experience of seven small states
(Austria, Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland) during the
last hundred years, starting with the restoration of the gold standard after World War I
and ending with Sweden's rejection of the Euro in 2003.
The comparative analysis shows that for the most part of the twentieth century
the options of policy makers were seriously constrained by a distinct fear of floating
exchange rates. Only with the crisis of the European Monetary System (EMS) in 1992–93
did the idea that a flexible exchange rate regime was suited for a small open economy gain
currency.
The book also analyses the differences among small states and concludes that
economic structures or foreign policy orientations were far more important for the timing
of regime changes than domestic institutions and policies.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I. The Interwar Years:
1. Early divergence
2. The return to prewar parity
3. Fear of experiments
4. The dissolution of the gold bloc
Part II. After Bretton Woods:
5. Fixed vs. floating
6. Hard and soft pegs
7. The Swiss exception
8. Floating in the north
Conclusion.
414 pages, Hardcover